I was lucky enough to go with some work colleagues to Pearl Restaurant in Holborn. We’d been looking for something nearby that was nice and that could fit eight of us in at short notice. I’d been researching earlier that week for a blog post when I came across Pearl on Timeout and noticed they had a special deal (3 courses for £30), sadly no longer available. Now I have to apologise up front for the quality of these photos. The section we were in had shocking lighting and I was armed with only my iPhone. 

We started off with not one but two amuse-bouche. Pretty amazing given we were dining on a set menu deal. The first was an assortment of dishes, there was enough for two each. I can’t quite remember what they were now but thanks to another food blog it turns out from the bottom they are a Mackerel and Vegetables Escabeche, a Chicken Liver Parfait with Toasts and Chutney, a Mushroom Risotto arancino and what I think was a Pastry Concoction filled with an unknown substance - unfortunately I didn’t get a taste either! The second amuse-bouche was the same for everyone. I was concerned it was a raw egg but it was actually a Butternut Squash Puree with Green Apple Jelly. The pumpkin puree came in for very high praise from my dining companions. 

We also had generous servings of fresh bread and I was beginning to wonder how I would get through the three courses. For starters, I opted for Roast Langoustines, Scallop Mousse with Black Spaghetti, Fennel Puree and Sea Purslane (IIRC) whilst for my main I went for Fish served with Herby Potato Cakes, Puree and Samphire. The starter was amazing. The langoustine was fresh and the black spaghetti was visually stunning. The green sauce was sweeter than I expected. Unfortunately I can’t remember the fish I had for my main (possibly monkfish). It was perhaps a little too generous a portion for me especially with the filling herby potato cakes. The puree, which I believe was parnsip, was rich and surprisingly enough, one of the highlights of the dish. 

We were expecting dessert but we ended up getting another bonus course, this time it was a Pre-Dessert in a shot glass - Vanilla Cream with Blackberry Compote. The creamy vanilla flavour worked really well with the tart berries. The desserts were possibly the most spectacular course of the evening. Both dessert options looked incredibly good and the presentation standard was very high. I can’t quite remember what I had but I know it was good, from what I can recall I think it was a Chocolate Parfait with White & Dark Chocolate Balls and Hazelnuts. I was stuffed by that point but still managed to finish off my dish. 

The other dessert looked equally impressive and you can see the Tiramisu with Amaretto Ice-cream in the photo below. Petit Fours followed, including marshmallows and sesame snaps. I managed a marshmallow but I was totally stuffed by that point. 

I felt that the service was a little clunky in parts and more visible than they should have been. On occasion, they interrupted conversation and clattered the plates as they laid them down or removed them but this is me nitpicking more than anything.

Although the food or the service weren’t perfect, I felt that the deal we got was pretty amazing. £30 bought us seven courses and it felt like they had really put effort in those courses, not skimped because we were eating on a special deal. If you can get a deal, I’d definitely recommend it but even if you can’t I’d still say it’s worth a visit. 

Pearl by Jun Tanaka
252 High Holborn
London WC1V 7EN
Phone: +44(0)2078297000
http://www.pearl-restaurant.com/